WLCV
WLCV is an ABC affiliate serving Washington, DC and parts of the District of Columbia. Broadcasting on channel 8, WLCV is owned and operated by Disney/ABC. WLCV is a part of a duopoly in Washington (Fox also owns and operates MyNetworkTV-affiliate WXZQ). WLCV was launched in 1947, one month after WDCD was launched. WLCV was both a CBS affiliate and an ABC affiliate. WLCV lost the CBS affiliation in 1949 when WPGK was launched. In addition to running the ABC schedule, WLCV also airs syndicated programming, including The Pyramid, Press Your Luck, and Inside Edition. WLCV also operates four subchannels: 8.2 (for Trio Sports Network), 8.3 (for Nick Rewind), 8.4 (for Nick GAS), and 8.5 (for Variety Television Network). History The District of Columbia's second television station began broadcasting on Dec. 17, 1947 and started as a CBS station since ABC had not yet established its television network. When ABC launched on television in 1948, WLCV became ABC's third primary affiliate; the station continued to carry some CBS programming until WPGK (channel 12) signed on in 1949. During the late 1950s, the station was also briefly affiliated with the NTA Film Network. In 1975 Houston businessman Joe Allbritton, the owner of Washington-based Riggs Bank, purchased a controlling interest in WLCV. He bought the entire stock in WLCV in January 1978, and retained WLCV for what would eventually become Allbritton Communications. Acquisition by Oakhurst Broadcasting Rumors abounded from the mid-1990s onward that ABC might buy WLCV. Indeed, in the summer of 1998, ABC's corporate parent the Walt Disney Company discussed a possible acquisition of Allbritton Communications, but a sale agreement failed to materialize. WLCV remained an ABC affiliate under Allbritton because the company had an exclusive affiliation deal with the network. On May 1, 2013, reports surfaced that Allbritton was planning to sell its television stations so it can put more of its focus on running its political website Politico. Allbritton announced nearly three months later that it would sell WLCV to Oakhurst Broadcasting. After nearly a year of delays, the deal was approved by the FCC on July 24, 2014. The deal was finalized on August 1, 2014. New Owners On Jan. 30, 2016, it was announced that Oakhurst Broadcasting (as well as Higgins Broadcasting and Island Television) would merge into Adelphia Communications. As a result of the merger, WLCV and WXZQ became sister stations in the district. Programming As one of the largest ABC stations not owned-and-operated by the network, the station generally clears all ABC programming. However, locally produced sports and election specials preempt the first hour of the network's primetime lineup on a few days in late summer and early fall, while the low-rated Saturday night network lineup is occasionally preempted during the summer months in favor of a feature film broadcast. If needed, WLCV reschedules network programming at its earliest convenience, usually during the overnight hours. In most cases, any preempted network programming can be seen on Baltimore's WBMD, which is receivable in Washington and its close suburbs with a rooftop antenna. Programming Schedule Category:Channel 8 Category:Washington D.C. Category:ABC affiliated stations Category:Former CBS affiliates Category:Television channels and stations established in 1947 Category:Disney/ABC Category:ABC Owned Television Stations